Closing Dynasty, written and directed by Lloyd Lee Choi, is a wonderfully whimsical tale of family connection and lost city wandering. The film follows 7 year old Queenie (Milinka Winata), who we meet standing on the platform, trains rushing by, as she’s asking people for money: just a spare few dollars to save her basketball team. Throughout the film, she moves through internal and external settings, in New York City, collecting objects and having conversations with passers-by. The beauty of the film is in its ending, which reveals the motivation for her meandering. Closing Dynasty is a story close to home, with mother (Eleven Lee) and father (Allen Chen) at the center. It is a brilliantly crafted trip through, at times, overwhelming and disorienting environments, sewn together by the surprisingly assured footsteps of its lead protagonist.
Closing Dynasty is driven by a superb sense of adventure and exploration. Whether a train station, a street corner, a shop or a restaurant, the film captures the uniqueness of each individual setting while always maintaining a natural look. The film replicates a child-like perspective, blurring focus at different points and moving from scene to scene with a curiosity that always piques your interest. The lead performance from Winata generates endless empathy and hilarity, whether pretending to smoke a cigarette, selling flowers or running along the riverfront.
Though the plot is intentionally stripped-back, focusing more on mood and atmosphere than dialogue, the film has a weight to it communicated through the stunning cinematography (Christopher Lew) and framing of characters. The interior, exterior, daytime and nighttime have a sprawling life to them and shots are often framed from Queenie’s eyeline, as she either looks up or adults move down into the frame. The experience feels authentic and real, while also having an element of ephemerality. New York is a city in constant transit, moving around Queenie, as she desperately tries to locate objects that she can sell.
Closing Dynasty delivers on both a visual and an emotional level. The film depicts New York in a fresh and exciting way, uncovering the heartbeat of the environment and getting stuck into local level activity. The film is affecting without being overly sentimental – there is a harsh reality lying under the apparent adventure. Closing Dynasty understands the wide-eyed magnificence of living in an epicenter of hustle, bustle and culture, as well as the difficult drifting of life and business in the 21st Century.
